Its Not Fair They’re Picking On Me!

Trish Marchant Says: I have come in for some criticism recently from Labour, Conservative and English Democrats supporters who think that our consult on city status campaign is ill-thought out and unrepresentative.

We have only scratched the surface with our petition and already we have twice as many people demanding proper consultation compared to the Councils shrouded attempt at it. (In fact most of those do not want city status).

These trees aint there no more thanks to public opinion being ignored

According to Councillor Chambers it doesn’t matter because:

1. Its an Austerity Bid (oh that’s OK then, at least we aren’t wasting good money….)

2. 0.1% of the population of Medway in favour of it is representative (oh really???) of what the other 250000 actually want.

The attitude of the council is shameful and I personally want to see a change in the way we residents are treated, not just on this issue but on many others. I want us to feel part of the decision making process or at least trust that our opinions matter.

Apathy among residents is the key to success for an undemocratic council, so even if you don’t agree with this campaign it shouldn’t stop you from getting involved in local community groups such as the Transition Town Movement, or artists support groups like Medway Eyes. Maybe even setting up your own if there is a particular issue that’s affecting you : rubbish on the streets, night time public transport, lack of youth clubs, poorly maintained cycle paths, if you can spare a bit of time get involved, even if its just to annoy Councillor Chambers 🙂

One Comment to “Its Not Fair They’re Picking On Me!”

You’ve alluded to criticism received. If it is in the public domain we’d be interested to read it.

Your campaign is far from ill thought-out and unrepresentative. We know this because many people we have spoken to are unclear as to the benefits of city status for Medway, aghast at the lack of proper consultation, frustrated at Medway Council’s track record on meaningful engagement and outraged at the pennants being dished out in its appalling propaganda rag Medway Matters. Being given flags to colour in rather than a say in Medway’s future suggests that we are viewed with contempt, as subjects rather than citizens, whilst gaining celebrity endorsement for city status is an insult to our intelligence.

It’s not just city status either. People want an elected Mayor, a bus station that’s actually good and doesn’t destroy green space and for Medway’s historically valuable and beautiful buildings to be celebrated and maintained, rather than left to rot and then bulldozed.

Thank you for pointing people in our direction, and for a refreshing blast of common sense. We’re not party political or anything, but we welcome respect for others and for our local environment.